There For You
by sparkygirl82
Summary: One of the team is hurt, bringing about some things that need to be said. Possible spoilers up to 5x09. DL and Mac/Stella.


A/N: I don't own them or make money off of them. I'm just borrowing them, I promise to put them back. Thanks to Lisa for the help.

Stella had to laugh at herself. Here she was, sitting in her apartment on a rare night off, and what was she doing? Drinking a glass of wine and listening to her police scanner. She had pulled three double shifts that week and had testified in court on two days. Most sane people would try to remove themselves as far from their job as possible when they finally have a day off. Then again, when had Stella Bonasera done anything just because it was the "normal" thing to do?

She glanced over at the clock. It read just a little past nine at night. She and Mac were planning to grab some dinner once his shift finished up, but it might end up being a late meal since just a little under an hour ago he and Danny had headed over to a homicide on 77th. They had been on the phone when the call had come in. Seems an anonymous person had called in the body. Mac had sighed and told her he'd give her a call when they were getting close to being finished collecting the evidence. She listened to the chatter of the radio as she heard Flack calling in to dispatch, putting out an APB on the description of the suspect. With any luck it would be one of those cases that were opened and closed in no time leaving another scumbag locked up where they belong.

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Mac sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He and Danny were just about finished going over the crime scene. All the evidence seemed to point to some sort of gang rivalry. The side of the building had recently been tagged, with the paint still fresh. They also had found a chain with a cross on it that appeared to have been pulled off the attacker. With any luck they could get some DNA from the epithelial and get a hit in CODIS. He would send Danny back to the lab and let him, Lindsay and Sheldon start processing the evidence. Normally he wouldn't pass the work off to someone else, but he had already worked 14 hours that day, plus he had made plans with Stella to grab dinner. He felt a small fluttering in his stomach at the thought of spending time with her later. Shaking his head to get himself back on task, he looked around for Flack to let him know they could clear the scene. Danny had headed back down to the rear of the alleyway to make sure nothing else had been missed.

Just as he reached the front of the alleyway where Flack was, Mac heard Danny shout; yelling at someone to stop. Mac's blood ran cold as he heard the distinct sound of two guns being fired. Mac and Don both took off running towards the direction of the sound. They reached the back of the alley and stopped cold at the scene that lay before them. A Hispanic male matching the description of the suspect was laying on the ground, a shot in his right shoulder and his thigh. Danny was lying on his back, the blood already starting to pool from a shot to his stomach. Flack was already on the radio calling in a bus, yelling that an investigator was down while one of the other officers cuffed the suspect and pulled him to his feet. Mac dropped down on his knees as he pressed on the oozing wound, trying to slow the bleeding. He could hear the sirens off in the distance as they grew louder. Danny was groaning in pain.

"I can't believe that bastard shot me! He was comin' back for his necklace and when he saw me holdin' the bag with it in it, pointed his damn gun at my head." Despite Danny's bravado, Mac could see the color draining from the younger man's face. His eyes were starting to droop as if it was a terrible effort to keep them open.

"Danny, stay with me. I need you to stay awake. You hear me? You have to stay awake Danny. Stay with me dammit! You don't have just yourself to think about anymore, you have Lindsay and your baby." Mac looked down at his hands. They were covered in blood. In Danny's blood. He couldn't stop the bleeding. Danny had stopped moaning as he now lay still. Mac kept shaking him, trying to get him to wake up. Suddenly Mac was being pulled away from Danny as the paramedics rushed in, hooking him up to the heart monitor. He had a pulse, but it was weak. They quickly strapped him onto the gurney and loaded him into the back of the ambulance. Mac jumped in as they rushed off to St Luke's hospital.

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Stella walked back into the living room, having gone to refill her glass with more wine. She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard the change in Don's voice, hearing the fear and the urgency as he called for a bus to the scene. The glass in her hand fell to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces as she heard Don yell that an investigator had been shot. She looked down at the wood floor, seeing the pool of red liquid on the hardwood floor. With shaking hands she ran to the kitchen counter to grab her cell phone as she hit the first number on her speed dial, praying that Mac would answer and tell her he was ok.

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Mac sat in the back of the ambulance and stared at the still form of Danny while the paramedic quickly worked to stabilize the detective. He was breathing on his own but he had lost a lot of blood. The paramedic had already placed an IV in his arm, but what he needed was to get into surgery to stop the bleeding. Mac looked back down at his hands, no longer stained from life of his friend. The paramedic had thrown a towel and some wipes to Mac once he had attended to Danny's immediate needs. Mac was pulled out of his musings as he heard the ring from the phone attached to his hip. He pulled it out of the holder and answered automatically, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Taylor."

"Mac what the hell is going on? I've been trying to reach you. I heard Don call over the radio that an investigator had been shot! What happened? Are you ok? What about Danny?"

"I'm fine Stella, it was Danny. Suspect came back for his necklace and when Danny tried to stop him, the guy shot him in the stomach. He's lost a lot of blood and he's unconscious right now. We're just pulling up to St. Luke's."

"Were you guys at least able to catch the guy?"

"Yeah, Danny managed to get a couple shots off, stopping the guy from escaping. Don's got him in custody. They're going to take him to the hospital then to interrogation as soon as he's cleared."

"Good, I'll meet you over there in 10 minutes. I'll also call Lindsay and let her know. I know she doesn't need to be placed under more stress, but she should know what's going on."

Mac nodded, "I agree. I'll see you in a bit."

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Stella rushed through the doors of the hospital emergency room, flashing her badge to security as she made her way past the guard at the entrance to the rooms. She saw Mac sitting in a plastic chair next to the bed in Danny's room. Even from far away she could see the guilt weighing down on him from the younger man being injured. Stella felt bad at the relief she had felt when Mac answered his phone. She would rather no member of her team be injured, but the fear from not knowing if it was Mac that had been hurt was crippling.

Quietly she opened the door to Danny's room, taking in how still he was, various tubes hooked up to the machines. Her eyes locked with Mac's as he looked up at her entrance. Needing the reassurance that he really was ok, Stella moved over to Mac, pulling him in a tight embrace.

If Mac was surprised by her actions, he didn't say anything, just held her tighter before pulling back enough to look her in the eyes.

"Hey," he said, not sure what else to say. He could see the fear still in her eyes, the glint of tears he knew she wouldn't let fall.

"How is he?" She asked, turning to look at Danny.

"Doctors stabilized him and are prepping to take him into surgery to remove the bullet. They should be down in a minute to take him in. They think he'll be fine though. They were able to stop the bleeding."

As if on cue, one of the doctors and two nurses came into the room to prep Danny for the move to the OR. Stella and Mac watched as Danny was wheeled out of the room. As the door shut, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She saw Mac sit back down in the chair and wipe his hand over his face, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Mac stop it. Please don't do this to yourself."

He looked up in surprise at her words. "Stop what? What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about; you're blaming yourself for what happened. It's not your fault this happened."

"Stella, just leave it."

"No Mac, I can't let you do this. You're beating yourself up over this. I know Danny wouldn't blame you, so why should you? At least you caught the guy so he can be punished for what he did."

"I was the lead investigator on the scene. How can it not be my fault? I run the lab, Danny works under me. I should've been more careful to keep this from happening."

Stella placed her hand on Mac's forearm, squeezing it in reassurance. She was about to say something more when Sheldon and Lindsay walked into the room.

"Where's Danny? Why isn't he in here? Have they taken him to surgery already? How's he doing?" Lindsay was firing off questions at a rapid speed, though thankfully she was a lot calmer than Stella had feared she might be.

"They just took him into surgery. They were able to stop the bleeding and are going to remove the bullet. From the X-ray they took it appears that he was really lucky and the bullet missed any major organs," Mac replied.

Stella pulled Lindsay into a hug. "He's going to be ok kiddo." She could feel the younger girl let out a breath and relax a little. Finally Lindsay pulled back. Stella watched as a look of determination replaced the worried mask that had previously taken residence on Lindsay's face.

"I'm going to go call his parents, let them know what's going on." Stella and Mac nodded silently as they watched her head out the door with Sheldon close behind. The doctor had wordlessly taken on the role of her protector in the absence of Danny.

Stella turned back to look at Mac as the door closed. He was still sitting in the plastic chair, hands clenching the arm rests as he stared without seeing. She knew how much he cared for all of the members of their team, Danny in particular. Stella had asked Mac years ago why he always seemed to be tougher on the young detective than the others in their team. Mac had been silent for a moment, and then responded with an answer that spoke volumes about the older man.

"I spoke to Danny's training officer at length when he first applied to work in the lab in July of 2001. He told me all the obstacles and temptations Danny had overcome, the types of kids he had grown up around. It was what had driven Danny to become a cop in the first place. After all the injustice he saw growing up, he wanted to try and be the one to keep that from happening to others; to try and bring those responsible to justice. Prior to our conversation, I had been reluctant to bring him on to the team based on remarks some of the brass had made about him, his problems with authority. But that T.O. saw something in Danny that even I almost overlooked. He saw his potential, and all Danny needed was someone to help keep him in check, to help maximize his abilities. Johnson, the T.O. had taught him all he could; now it was my turn. After 9/11 I almost stopped believing that there was any justice left in the world, but seeing the enthusiasm and voracity that Danny applied to every case, and his elation after each case was closed, seems he taught me a thing or two as well. He helped give me faith in the system again."

Stella watched as Mac stood finally and walked to the window looking out towards the rest of the ER. From there he watched the controlled chaos that was happening around them. She hated seeing him like that; shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world rested on them. Making up her mind she moved to stand next to him, reaching out to take his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. He looked over to her, surprise evident in his eyes. She remained silent, squeezing his hand in reassurance, letting him know she was there for him, that maybe he didn't have to carry everything on his own.

A slight smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he squeezed her hand back, his thumb rubbing her knuckles lightly. The silence was broken when Mac's stomach rumbled loudly; reminding him that he still hadn't eaten anything all day. He dropped his gaze as he blushed at the untimely interruption.

Stella tugged on Mac's hand, pulling him towards the door. "C'mon Mac, you need to eat something. We both do." She saw the hesitation in his eyes. "Danny's in good hands; the doctors are taking care of him. You know Sheldon won't let Lindsay out of his sight until Danny's parents get here."

"So that means you get stuck taking care of me?" Mac asked with a small nervous laugh.

"No, I just don't trust anyone else to do as good of a job, especially not you. Don't worry, we both have our phones with us and you know they'd call us if there were any changes."

Mac nodded silently, having come to the conclusion it was better not to try and dissuade a determined Stella. He tightened his grip on her hand as they headed out the door to the small diner around the corner, a small smile on both of their lips.

They made their way into the diner, only letting go of each other when they moved to sit in a booth. This time it was Stella's turn to be surprised when Mac sat in the seat next to her rather than across from her, his side pressed to hers. They were quiet as they looked over the menus, neither talking until the waitress had come and taken their orders.

Mac looked over at Stella; she was fiddling with a sugar packet, her gaze focused intently on the small object. He could see the small lines on her face as she frowned. He could tell there was something wrong. He placed his hand on top of hers, stilling their movements. "Danny's going to be ok Stella. You yourself said it. He's got the best people taking care of him. Besides, he's a fighter. You don't need to worry."

Stella brought her gaze up to meet his and he was shocked to see the anguish in her eyes. "That's just it Mac, I'm not. Or at least no more than is normal to be worried about a friend."

Mac tightened his hold on her hand, trying to provide some comfort to her. "Then what's wrong?"

Stella was silent for a moment, eyes darting around the diner while she tried to sort through her thoughts and find exactly what she wanted to say while worried about his reaction. She took a deep breath, knowing she needed to get this out.

"Mac, when I heard Don over the radio calling out that an investigator had been shot, knowing you and Danny were the ones out there. I was so afraid that I was going to get a call from one of them, saying that you had been shot. I didn't know what to do. Then when you weren't answering your phone…I was so scared I was going to lose you Mac." Finally Stella let the dam break as tears rolled down her face.

Not knowing what else to say he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight against him while whispering soothing words in her ear, his warm breath comforting as it brushed across her skin. Slowly her tears subsided as he continued to alternately murmur reassuring words and place feather-light kisses to her temple. They stayed like that, both drawing strength from the other until they were interrupted by the waitress bringing them their food. Only then did they pull apart, albeit reluctantly. As they dug into their dinner, Mac noticed Stella's hand resting on the table. He reached out with his left and linked their fingers together, her small hand warm in his. His eyes connected with hers and he smiled in response to the blush that had replaced the stains left by her tears. Reaching over with her free hand Stella grabbed a fry from his plate, popping it into her mouth. "Eat," she said with a laugh. Mac grinned in response as he turned back to his food.

They were just about finished with their dinner when Mac's phone rang. Their gazes locked, apprehension evident in their faces as he let go of Stella's hand and reached for the phone attached to his belt. Stella watched his eyes as she strained to make out the words from the voice on the other end, Sheldon from the sound of it. Seconds seemed to drag by as she kept her gaze on Mac's face, his mask firmly in place.

"We'll be heading back in a few minutes. Keep an eye on Lindsay. Yeah, I figured you would. Yeah, I'll make sure to tell her. Bye."

"Well? C'mon Mac, you're killing me here. What'd Sheldon say?"

She watched as a large grin formed on his face. "Danny's out of surgery, and he's going to be just fine. Hawkes said he's already awake and demanding to be let out so he can go interrogate the suspect."

Stella laughed in response. "Sounds like something he'd say. Ready to get out of here?"

Mac nodded as he speared the last piece of watermelon from Stella's fruit salad. Popping it into his mouth he nodded as he stood up, grabbing the check before throwing some money down to cover the bill. With his free hand he held it out to help her out of the booth. Once she was up, it moved to rest on her lower back as they headed toward the exit.

As they were heading back toward hospital, Stella stopped and turned to Mac. "When you were on the phone with Sheldon, there was something he wanted you to tell me. What was it?"

Mac brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck nervously. All day long he had been planning this, but now that it came down to it, he was scared.

"Mac?" Stella eyed him curiously. It wasn't often she saw Mac looking nervous. "Is there something you're not telling me?" She placed her hand on his arm, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Remember a few weeks ago our conversation about making the most out of the time we have with those we care about?"

Stella nodded in response.

"Well the other day Sheldon and I were working a case and on the drive back got talking, regrets for things not said, life being so fragile… things like that. And, well, you know how persistent he can be when he knows he's getting close to the truth. He asked me if I would have any regrets if anything happened to you or me."

Stella smiled to herself, Hawkes really was too observant for his own good. "And what did you conclude Detective Taylor?"

Mac took her hands in his, pulling her closer. "I'd have a few regrets, because there are things I should've told you long ago, but I never have."

"Such as…"

"How lucky I am to have you as my partner. How grateful I am for you saving me from myself over and over. How much I love the light you bring into the office. But most importantly, how much I love you Stella. I was just scared of admitting it to you, to myself. I didn't want to lose your friendship. I almost died once when I lost Claire. Thanks to you, you brought me back from the edge. If I lost you Stella, there'd be no second redemption for me."

Stella saw the sincerity in his eyes as she felt her eyes fill up for the third time that night, only this time was different. These weren't tears of sadness or fear, but happiness. She watched as Mac reached out, his warm hand cupping her face as his thumb wiped away the tears from her cheek. Words were no longer necessary as they kept their eyes locked on each other, both letting the other know exactly how they felt. Slowly Mac leaned in, brushing his lips against Stella's, his touch so light she had to peek an eye open to make sure it wasn't another of her dreams. She knew for sure she wasn't dreaming when he tangled his other hand in her thick curls, pulling her deeper into the kiss. Finally they separated, Mac resting his forehead against Stella's while his hands dropped down to her waist. Neither felt the need to break the silence as they reveled in the new turn their relationship had taken. Mac pulled back just enough so he could look Stella in the eye. He was glad to see the twinkle back.

"You know, I just revealed something pretty big to you. Most people would be worried if they didn't get a response of some sort," Mac said with a grin on his face.

"True, but we're not most people, are we?"

"No, no we're not." Mac saw her feelings expressed clearly in her green eyes, the feeling warming him to the core.

She brought her hand up to his cheek and placed a quick kiss on his lips before she turned away. Looking back at him, she held out her hand. "C'mon, let's go check on Danny. I'd say after today he deserves to be the first to know something for once."

Mac chuckled at that as he laced their fingers together, letting her lead him back towards the hospital.


End file.
